january 2011

January 2011 1

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january 2011

music and lifestyle for the west midlands

laugh away the January blues with...

MILTONJONES

Also inside: Mark ThomasYoung RunawaysMelanie Pain

PLUS:•Detox cocktails•The best winter boots•Your comprehensiveWhat’s On guide forJanuary

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CONTENTSBrum Notes Magazine120 The GreenhouseThe Custard FactoryDigbethBirminghamB9 4AA

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Editor: Chris MoriartyContributorsWords: James Collins, Andy Roberts, Jimmy Lynch, Katie Fox, Jamie Brannon, Lorraine Teare, Ross Cotton, Ben Adsett, Jon Pritchard Pictures: Mark Salmon, Mark Howell, Gobinder Jhitta, Jade Sukiya, Jack SnapeDesign: Sleepy Design, Andy Aitken

All content © Brum Notes Magazine. Views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Brum Notes Magazine.

While all care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of content, Brum Notes Magazine will not be held liable for any errors or losses claimed to have been incurred by any errors. Advertising terms and conditions available on request.

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REGULARS:NEWSLIVE CLUBS WHAT’S ON - your new look guide to music, clubs and comedy

COMPETITIONS:WIN TICKETS TO SEE ICONIC DJ MARY ANNE HOBBS AND RISING STAR JAMIE WOON

INTERVIEWS:COMEDY: MARK THOMASCOMEDY: MILTON JONESMUSIC: YOUNG RUNAWAYSMUSIC: MELANIE PAIN

FEATURES:FOOD & DRINK: Detox cocktails and Café Ikon reviewedSTYLE: The most stylish footwear to get you through winter

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NEW ADDITION TO KINGS HEATH’S INDEPENDENT FOOD+DRINK SCENEA new cafe bar has opened its doors in Kings Heath, adding to the growing reputation of the area’s independent scene. CherryReds has taken over the former York Cafe in the bohemian outpost of York Road, which also hosts a variety of independently run businesses including Top Banana vintage clothing, The Polar Bear record store, the Kitchen Garden Cafe, Capeling & Co specialist cheesemongers and Chatterbox Boutique, as well as pub and live venue the Hare & Hounds on the corner of York Road and High Street.

CherryReds is open for food and cafe staples throughout the day, including full English breakfasts, eat-in or takeaway sandwiches, coffee and cake and hearty lunches such as freshly baked potatoes as well as daily specials and vegetarian and vegan options when possible.

The cosy hangout, which is run by Jennifer Nadin and fellow former colleagues from Moseley’s uber-cool Fighting Cocks pub, is also open in the evenings until 11pm, with a separate fully stocked bar offering fruit beer and Maisels Weisse wheat beer on tap.

CherryReds in York Road, Kings Heath, is open now, seven days a week.

LATEST IMAGES FOR NEW LIBRARY OF BIRMINGHAMStriking new artists’ impressions from inside the new Library of Birmingham have been unveiled to mark the first anniversary of the start of building work.

The latest images include a first look at a new outdoor amphitheatre space which will provide a stage for musical and artistic performances, with 360 degree views of performers from above.

The main service cores of the building are now in place with the lower floor structures beginning to take shape at the new public building in Centenary Square, which is due to open its doors in 2013.

Bosses behind the scheme have promised 2011 will be a big year for members of the public to be able to see real progress being made. Construction milestones this year are expected to include the topping out of the concrete frame, the installation of glazing and the application of the distinctive frieze.

Architects Mecanoo have released these new images to give the first real glimpse of how the new outdoor

amphitheatre in Centenary Square will appear, as well as a first look at the central rotunda inside the library. In addition to the newly released images, the new year will see the unveiling of a new ‘fly through’ video which will offer an in-depth look inside.

Operating as a main focal point of the building, the central rotunda features a wall of books across several floors,with travelators and escalators providing links between floors, alongside spacious public areas.

The outdoor amphitheatre will be accessible from the music and children’s sections of the Library of Birmingham, providing space for outdoor performance and activity which can be viewed from onlookers in Centenary Square above.

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JAMIE WOON LIVE, FEBRUARY 23Jamie Woon is already at the forefront of the sound which is bound to be filling airwaves this year.

His combination of singer-songwriter intimacy, dance

music sensibilities and an appreciation of spacious, dubstep-inspired beats delivers a haunting array of soulful and dark, bluesy pop, which has seen the 27-year-old labelled as one of the artists to watch in 2011, with his debut album out this spring. Leftfoot and Bigger Than Barry bring him to the Hare & Hounds on February 23 for a chance to catch his unique live show up close. Tickets cost £7 in advance but we’ve got a pair to give away to one lucky winner who can answer the following question.Question: What was the name of Jamie Woon’s recent single released at the end of 2010? Send your answer, name and age to [email protected] by January 31 for a chance to win. Winners will be notified by email.

MARY ANNE HOBBS DJ SET, FEBRUARY 5Mary Anne Hobbs has established herself as an iconic DJ for her work to champion the more experimental sides of electronic music, whether during her career on Radio 1 or whipping dancefloors into a frenzy in clubs around the world. She will be making a welcome return to the atmospheric surroundings of the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath on February 5, courtesy of soul and funk torchbearers Leftfoot and Elixir, a night committed to bringing the best in future bass, liquid crunk and psychedelic dub to Brum.

The night runs from 9pm to 3am, with support sets from the likes of ASV, Marquis, Pascal Wray and Tiger Lips. Early bird tickets are available for £6, with advance tickets £8, but you can also win free entry for two by answering the following question. Question: For how many years did Mary Anne Hobbs broadcast on BBC Radio 1 before leaving last year? Entrants must be 18 or over. Send your answer, name and age to [email protected] by January 31. Winners will be notified by email.

IN BRIEFAn international festival for new musical talent, which was founded in Birmingham, kicks off next month. Surface Festival, which launched in the Midlands five years ago, will host more than 500 shows across 14 cities in the UK and Europe, giving new bands and artists the chance to play in front of industry experts and compete for £100,000 of prizes and the chance to play at London’s O2 Arena. Birmingham heats kick off in February, visit www.surfacefestival.com for listings and line-up details.

Three Polish artists will visit Birmingham this month to kick off a residency exchange programme between the city and Gdansk in Poland. The project, called Post Industrial Revolution, is an artistic residency exchange developed between the UK and Poland focusing on the industrial heritage areas of Digbeth and the Gdansk Shipyard. The artists from Poland will begin the one month residency on January 15, using the time for research and for the production of new artworks directly responding to the area of Digbeth and its historical and social context. These works will then be displayed in an exhibition at The Lombard Method, an artist run studio and project space in Lombard Street, from February 18. A call for submissions for British artists will be circulated this month with the residency and exhibition taking place from May 2011 at Wyspa Institute of Art in Gdansk.

Local bands will be given the chance to play live at Birmingham super club Gatecrasher as part of its weekly indie club night Supersonic Vague. Birmingham Promoters has teamed up with the Broad Street venue to bring two bands to the live stage every Friday night between 10pm and midnight, with local brand DJs in between. Carlo from Birmingham Promoters said: “It’s a great opportunity for us to work alongside one of Birmingham’s busiest club nights and bring local bands to the students and visa versa. We hope it will be the start of something a lot bigger.”

Ikon Gallery in Oozells Square, Birmingham, hosts a free weekend film festival devoted to Vietnam. Screenings take place at various times on January 22 and 23 at both the gallery and the CBSO Centre in Berkley Street.

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STILL MAKING HIS

MARKI don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure most people when they decide to go for a nice walk don’t choose one of the most fought-over pieces of land in the world. But then Mark Thomas isn’t like most people. He’s not even like most comedians. Certainly not the ones who you see on television these days. He’s still a man who’s not afraid to mix politics and comedy and certainly not afraid to make himself seen and heard.

But even for someone who may be used to kicking up a bit of a fuss, deciding to ramble the 750 km length of the Israeli Separation Border, crossing between the Israeli and Palestinian sides, was no mean feat. “Beautiful, exciting, hospitable, worrying, dangerous occasionally... but overall it was enlightening,” as Thomas himself describes.

The expedition is the subject of his latest live show, with a four night stint in Birmingham this month, before returning to the Midlands for appearances in Wolverhampton, Stafford and Coventry in April. And while you wouldn’t expect to see Michael McIntyre undertaking a similar task and despite it’s serious undertones, Mark Thomas insists his trip has still given him plenty of comic material. The show, as well as the book and the film which will follow later this year, are intended to amuse as well as inform. “If you want to see a Michael McIntyre roadshow and that’s what you want my comedy to be like then this show probably isn’t for you. “But it is a comedy show. I got a Tweet from someone who said they found it ‘touching and funny,’ which is great.”

Political comedy may be a dirty term for television schedulers now but for Mark Thomas, it is as relevant as it ever was. “I’m very old school in that sense. There is lots of political comedy still around, you just don’t see it on television. “Political comedy has become either Have I Got News For You or Mock The Week. But that is not political comedy, they are nothing more than just echo chambers for the tabloid agendas, it is not about politics per se.” Not that this show is about imposing his own politics on the audience - he readily admits his own preconceptions were “merrily shattered” by the trip - but it is more concerned with reflecting the comically “absurd” situations that arise from life alongside the border.

Sleeping in firing ranges, getting detained for hours on end and being asked if he was going to solve a century-old peace crisis. It’s all in a day’s work for Britain’s foremost comic-turned-political activist. So why did Mark Thomas choose to ramble his way along the West Bank? Chris Moriarty finds out more.

“Beautiful, exciting,hospitable, worrying, dangerous occasionally...but overall it was enlightening.”

“If you want to see a Michael McIntyre roadshow and that’s what you want my comedy to be then this show probably isn’t for you.”

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“I love those stories that are about some of the stuff you see that is so absurd that it is impossible not to be funny, that’s what the walk was like. There was one point where we were walking and the wall goes through the back of a Palestinian school field leaving a goalpost on the Palestinian side and a goal post on the Israeli side. “It’s a very Israeli approach to defence, I would say.

“But that’s the point of it. I have this incredible adventure, get into some brilliant situations, some bizarre situations and I walked with these amazing Israelis and amazing Palestinians, but also met some really bizarre ones.“There were absurd situations where you would get to people’s houses and they have a map which shows their living room crosses the border and is actually in Jerusalem and the police arrested them for it. “What I want to do is get out and tell these stories. I think for me it challenged a lot of preconceptions about what was going on.”

With so many stories at his disposal, it seems the most difficult thing about the trip was deciding what to leave out. “I’ve got a book coming out in April and hopefully a film coming out later in the year so I get three goes at getting as much as possible in there. “There’s so much to put in, we go off walking every day and every day something happened, every single day. There was no such thing as a normal day, every day I was struck by how beautiful it was, saddened by something, shocked from it, so there’s so much information to get in there.

“You can say that it was a pretty full on walk. When we went to sleep, sometimes we would sleep in hotels in East Jerusalem and sometimes in other parts of the West Bank in guesthouses, other times we slept on people’s living rooms, in barns, garages. We even slept on the middle of a firing range one night. One house we stayed, the day before we arrived it was raided and the day after we left it was raided.”

But as well as the bizarre, surreal and occasionally frightening moments, there were plenty of warm experiences for the team to savour as well. “Palestinians have incredible hospitality. Every day when we were on the Palestinian side we would be invited in for teas and coffees. There were a couple of times where we made to feel very unwelcome as well, of course.

“To be honest people’s image of the West Bank is probably far worse than it actually is. “I would do it again at the drop of a hat, I thought it was a fantastic place.”

Mark Thomas: Extreme Rambling - Walking the Wall is at Mac, Birmingham, from January 17-20. Tickets cost £15/£10 from www.macarts.co.uk. He also performs at Artrix, Bromsgrove, on April 18; The Gatehouse, Stafford, on April 26; The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton, on April 27; Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, April 28-29.


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The wild hair; the crazy shirts and jumpers; the simpleton persona: on stage Milton Jones is every bit the comic character. Off it the man behind the character is a much more serious proposition. Opinionated, articulate, incisive about his craft and overall very hard working. There is much more behind his act than just pithy one-liners. He talks to Chris Moriarty about the changing face of the comedy scene.

Milton Jones is on the verge of becoming a household name. But for a comic who won the coveted Perrier Newcomer Award at Edinburgh 15 years ago, it must have seemed a long time coming.

The funny thing is, his brand of humour, instant stage appeal and consistently high level of critical acclaim has not drastically changed during the two decades in which he has been touring comedy clubs and venues of various sizes. What has changed, it would seem, is the commercial comedic landscape around him.

His accessible combination of surrealism and quickfire punchlines, a rising profile from mainstream television appearances, as well as a loyal band of followers from his BBC Radio 4 regular slots, has seen his ticket sales swell to the point where a hectic touring schedule has already been mapped out for the next year which makes Kings of Leon look like part-timers.

The recent TV-fuelled resurgence in comedy which has catapulted the likes of Michael McIntyre and John Bishop to being seemingly overnight household names has led

to the art being branded ‘the new rock and roll’ in some quarters. Stage comics are drawing in bigger crowds than chart-topping pop stars, whereas an appearance on one of the raft of television panel shows is enough to send ticket sales through the roof. Despite the inevitable bitter backlash from some jobbing stand-ups, you won’t hear Milton Jones complaining.

“It [the tour] was selling quite well so they’ve said ‘let’s double it!’ Now I know what I’m doing for the next year which has never happened before, but it is quite daunting. I find myself thinking ‘I hope I don’t get ill.’”

He is quick to acknowledge the impact of prime time television on the industry - what was once seen as edgy now has mass appeal.

“Finally, the alternative tag needs to be dropped,” he says. “It is mainstream comedy, the people who were 20 and were going to pub rooms to watch alternative comedy 20 years ago are now 20 years older and are the mainstream establishment and it has been pulled into Saturday night BBC 1.

“In TV terms, comedy is easy to put on as it is essentially

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jones

just someone talking, which compared to a big show that needs lots of actors, extras and so on, is a much easier proposition.

“Ten years ago the joke was more people went to speedway rather than to watch comedy, even though no one knew what speedway was.”

But as the audiences have grown and viewing habits have changed, so has the atmosphere in the crowd - and the impact of Simon Cowell et al is never far away.

“One thing we’ve noticed because of X Factor and so on, people come out and turn to each other and say ‘who do you think won?’ There has to be a competitive edge.

“In some ways people won’t book the extreme acts, they want quite safe acts.”

For someone who has been on the scene for 20 years, it would be easy to criticise the instant celebrity culture of comics who seem to be achieving overnight success. But he insists that any comedian who can consistently pull in a crowd deserves to do so and readily admits that he is benefiting from his associations with some of the biggest names.

“There’s an element if you can put Mock the Week or Michael McIntyre’s Roadshow as credits on a poster, it’s like having letters after your name. It’s working for me at the moment anyway.

“People like Michael McIntyre have taken comedy to a whole new audience of people who perhaps previously wouldn’t have looked twice. It would be churlish of me to complain even if part of me is tempted to think ‘where have you been before this?’

“But it was a different world in those days [when I started out], there were far fewer clubs, but now you can do comedy at university. It’s perceived as the new rock and roll but it’s not even that. It’s something credible and part of a celebrity culture, people aspire to be famous. For about 10 years TV didn’t know what to do with stand-ups. They would pop up here and there whereas perhaps they didn’t always deliver but with the panel games it is punchline comedy. It doesn’t suit everyone, there’s a lot of good comics out there who tell longer stories and it is difficult to adapt that to the panel game format.

“People like Michael McIntyre and Jimmy Carr set a new trend whereas they treated it like a business more than other people. For the pure artists, or people who perceive themselves as the pure artists, it is always going to rankle. However they’ve brought people in who never would have come along. Whether you like that kind of comedy or not, you have to say it’s working.

“He [Michael McIntyre] is so exposed and so in the limelight it is almost not really fair, but people need a figurehead and there are others, Peter Kay for example. I think broadly speaking it is a very good thing.

“With comedy, you can’t cheat. If someone is rubbish it will come out. With music you can mime and have a lot

of hype and get away with it longer. But in comedy if you are still there after a few years it is because you deserve to be.”

For anyone who has never seen Milton live, his performance is somewhere in the middle. Clever enough to be edgy, subtle enough to sound esoteric, rarely overtly offensive and yet silly enough in persona to appeal to the mass market.

“My shows will have kids and old people. It’s sort of alternative but to the layman it can still be mainstream comedy.

“There’s always someone staring at me clearly thinking ‘what is going on here?’ I’ve had people offer me psychiatric advice before or tell me, ‘sort your life out mate,’ which is always a nice thing to hear.

“But it is far more controlled now. The promoters control the environment and you are told not to heckle and to turn your mobile phone off, whereas before it was pretty much whatever happened happened.

“Twenty years ago it [the comedy scene] was quite politicised, whereas now even though it is pseudo-ironic you can get away with a lot more. Certainly Frankie Boyle

wouldn’t have got away with some of his act 20 years ago.”

“As for me, I’m just doing more of the same. It’s nice to be able to roll out some of the jokes I’ve been doing for

years as if I’ve just thought of them. “But having said that, there’s more demand now, I have to write new stuff all the time. If you’re a musician people want to hear the old songs, but no one wants to hear the old jokes. I can work all day on something and in the end you only have 10 seconds out of it and you need a lot of 10 secondses to fill a show.”

Milton Jones: The Lion Whisperer is at The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, on January 27.

He also appears at the Gatehouse, Stafford, on January 14; Artrix, Bromsgrove on January 28 and February 24; The Glee Club, Birmingham on March 9; Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, on April 23.

“With comedy, you can’t cheat. If someone is rubbish it will come out. If you are still there after a few years it is because you deserve to be.”

January 2011 9


You’re getting a reputation as one of the hottest emerging bands around, you release a debut album lauded by critics and play Glastonbury, so what next?Well, taking a six month sabbatical and changing both your style and direction may not be the first thing that comes to mind. Still, that is exactly what Midlands-based indie band Young Runaways did. So, was it all a case of too much too soon? “The reason for the break was mainly due to a couple of departures from the old line up,” explains singer, guitarist and chief songwriter Matt Pinfield. “Nothing serious happened, just life getting in the way and people having different priorities commitment-wise to the band. “First and foremost for me, I took the time to sit back and work out exactly what I wanted the band to sound like and where we were going with that. “I wrote a load of new songs and we started a new EP which is easily the best thing we’ve ever done.”

So, new sound, new direction and new band members -

what comes next is exactly what you would expect from a band with ambition. With a few live shows under their belt to break in the new line up and a new EP in the pipeline for release early this year, Young Runaways return to the live arena this month with a headline appearance at Newhampton Arts Centre in their native Wolverhampton.

“I literally could not wait, I think it was the longest time I’d gone without playing a show since I started playing in bands. We’re all really excited about playing live again, everyone is on the same page about that.“I think anyone who heard Young Runaways previously won’t be too shocked by the progression in the sound. “There are still six of us. We’ve still got the violin and the brass, although we have added a trumpet which adds loads to the orchestral section.“The sound now is more like 50 per cent rock ‘n’ roll band and 50 per cent orchestra.”

Young Runaways, with support from Liberation Works and Pan & the Poets, perform at Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton, on January 8.

RUNNING AMBITIONSWolverhampton band Young Runaways were turning heads with their brand of orchestral alt-pop, with a debut album, sell-out shows, Glastonbury appearances and a string of high profile support slots under their collective belt. Now, after a six month break they are back with a new line-up, new sound and a new hunger to get back on the road to success.

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Mélanie Pain is better known as one of the voices of the acclaimed French collective Nouvelle Vague, renowned around the world for their ethereal and sassy takes on post-punk and new wave classics. But she is also a dab hand at charming audiences with her own brand of folk-pop; a sugar and spice mix of delightful melodies, tales of heartbreak or happiness, performed with a twinkle in the eye and a sting in the tail. Now as she prepares to bring her solo show and Gallic flair to Birmingham’s HMV Institute as part of a trio of UK tour appearances, James Collins finds out you don’t need to brush up on your French to enjoy the pleasure of Mélanie Pain.

World of Pain“It is really different, the solo stuff. Nouvelle Vague is really a fun gig to play, we do covers, people know the songs and it is lots of fun and a very loud show,” explains the Caen-born singer. “My solo show is a lot more personal and I talk about my stories behind the songs, I sing in French and in English so it is really different.”

For Mélanie, who honed her bilingual skills while touring with Nouvelle Vague and singing covers in English, it is no longer frowned upon for French musicians to sing in a foreign language and she says audiences in her home country are growing more receptive to the concept.“I really like it at the moment in France where even French bands can sing in English and they are not so ashamed. Ten years ago if you were French you sang in French, whereas now lots of bands here are doing very well singing in English as well.”

While her adopted home city of Paris may be revered as a cultural hotbed, Mélanie admits it is still difficult for emerging musicians to be recognised elsewhere in the world, despite the burgeoning live music scene and abundance of talent.“In Paris there are very good clubs and we have open mic stuff, lots of young rock and roll bands, it is quite fun to go there and you have maybe 10 bands playing two songs each. There’s a lot of things happening in Paris and in music as CDs are not selling so well, so live shows are happening all the time. “I have been given a big chance to have played in Nouvelle Vague so I can go out and tour in England or Australia or Germany. “I’m very lucky whereas lots of French bands can only play in Paris.”

Despite her ability to sing and write songs in English, the unique charm of her solo shows and records comes in the combination of two languages and Mélanie says her English-speaking audiences take really well to the songs performed in French. “They really like it because I have songs which are in both English and French and if I ask the crowd

which language they want me to sing it in, they always say: ‘in French please!’“A lot of people are not used to it and I try to do pop songs. One journalist said I was trying to do English pop in French so it must be quite funny to English people.”

So how does she choose the language in the first place?“For the first album it was really when I wanted to sing a complex story with lots of ambiguous stuff I would write this in French because it was easier for me, English was more for the uplifting songs and the pop and when I want to express a direct feeling like ‘I’m happy!’”

Despite regaling the audience with “complex stories” in her native tongue, Melanie insists even the non-French speaking listeners can still appreciate what it is about. “You can still get the vibe I guess and lots of people know a few words in French. For example, I have a song called Adieu Mon Amour and everyone knows it and understands it. Likewise I have a song called Peut-être Pas, which means ‘maybe not,’ which a lot of people understand. There are these sort of songs with a few words here and there that people can use to make their own stories for and it is quite cool to see and it really works.”

Mélanie Pain performs at The Library at the HMV Institute, Digbeth, on January 29.


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LIVEARCADE FIRELG Arena, BirminghamDecember 8

“I come from one of the shittiest towns in the world; Houston, Texas,” claims Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler, from the vast LG Arena stage. “But I think Birmingham has gotta be right up there.” And as the band crash into Power Out, even the staunchest of defenders of this city here must find it hard to disagree.Thousands of people surely would have momentarily contemplated taking their own life after paying eight quid to park their car and then having to traipse across seemingly endless sprawling tarmac, only to stand so far away from the stage that the band appear like tiny dots on the horizon.It’s become a tired cliché in itself that stadium concerts lack the feel of smaller gigs, but there’s a lot to be said for intimacy. One of Arcade Fire’s many qualities is their musical dexterity and often the fragility struggles to get through tonight. At least it does where we sit in row Z. About four kilometres away down the front, hundreds are rampaging with every beat.The huge choruses such as Rebellion (Lies) naturally work on a grand scale, but the subtleties of My Body Is A

Cage are lost, coming across like a kind of rustic In The Air Tonight.However, about two-thirds in, the band hit the turbo boost and Month of May connects with all four corners of the aircraft hangar. From here on in, everything feels how paying £28 a ticket should feel, the crowd belting out Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels) long after the band finish

and even into the night as droves of people file out of the complex.It has to be made clear that Arcade Fire are an amazing live band, one of the best of a generation, it’s just that they have become victims of their own success. They have out-grown venues that perfectly complement their gothic majesty which enabled them to haunt and caress their devotees.

Still, as the final chords of Wake Up are propelled into the National Exhibition Centre’s rafters, the sea of people screaming back the wordless chorus are evidence that the band are capable of touching from a distance.Words by Andy RobertsPhotos by Mark Salmon

THE POGUESO2 Academy, BirminghamDecember 18

There are plenty of spots in Birmingham where you can catch a toothless drunk singing. But there are not too many occasions when 3,000 others will be singing along to every word. This particular toothless drunk in question is, of course, Shane MacGowan, iconic frontman of celtic folk-punk legends The Pogues and the archetypal anti-hero. Fans in huge numbers battled the snow, ice and lack of public transport to trudge through a ghostly city centre but the atmosphere inside certainly raised the

temperature. The queue for the bar was unrelenting, they ran out of Guinness and pints were thrown through the air with flagrant disregard of the ordeal gone through to get them in the first place. But this was a night of celebration, billed as their farewell tour, with fans spanning generations and genres. The Pogues are about much more than just ‘that’ Christmas song - which tonight was given extra poignancy falling as it did on the anniversary of Kirsty MacColl’s death - and they rattled through a host of other hectic, folk-punk anthems. Inspired celtic musicianship and non-stop energy from the stage-filling collective, along with the ramshackle spark of magic from MacGowan made this a fitting send off. But after that, few would really believe they won’t be back.


Greeted with the usual chants of “The View are on fire,” Dryburgh’s finest returned to Wolverhampton like old friends for an intimate gig at The Slade Rooms, as part of a teaser tour ahead of their forthcoming new album and string of dates across the country.Opening with Wasteland before going straight into a new song called Grace, while they may have been away for a year or so it’s clear to see that The View are not about to change their ways.The set (and drinking) went on at a frightening pace, and the crowd did well to keep up with them, as well as understand what they were saying.Cracking on with Wasted Little DJs, 5 Rebeccas and another new one Tragic Magic, they showed no signs of slowing down, stopping only to swap over when Kyle takes over on bass duties for Realisation and Skag Trendy.New download Sunday surprisingly sent many people heading for the bar or a cigarette, after they’d blown the roof off with Superstar Tradesman.Luring the fans back in with a cover of Squeeze’s hit Up The Junction and finishing off with Shock Horror, it was easy to see why so many of their fans left the venue battered, bruised and covered in booze.Words by Jon Pritchard

SCOTT MATTHEWS The Slade Rooms, WolverhamptonDecember 10

Local hero Scott Matthews arrived on stage to rapturous applause before pointing out he probably knew most of the people in the crowd - but he thanked them for their support anyway.Starting the set with Head First Into Paradise from his new album What The Night Delivers, due for release in the early spring, the signs look promising. Dream Song follows as his mixture of folk and blues whisks the crowd away to a better place. A stunning voice accompanied by sweet guitar licks is an age old music formula but it works brilliantly for the Wednesfield-born Matthews. Suddenly You Figure Out and Jagged Melody from second album Elsewhere feature, but it’s

the old and the new songs that take the breath away.Sweet Scented Figure, City Headache and The Fool’s Fooling Himself from 2006’s debut Passing Stranger drift in and out of the consciousness to provide a truly wonderful sense of awe.The ease with which Matthews sings his wonderfully crafted songs is a source of amazement to some and jealousy to others. New song Country showcases this perfectly and old favourite Passing Stranger is the perfect song to end on.Overall, a beautiful, relaxing set that could have only been topped if his biggest song Elusive had been played.Words by Jon PritchardPhoto by Mark Howell

THE VIEWThe Slade Rooms, WolverhamptonDecember 13

FEEDERO2 Academy, BirminghamDecember 9

With a strong winter chill outside, the Kerrang! Radio Christmas Party proved to be a welcome warmer for lovers of indie-rock.Ahead of headliners Feeder, The Futureheads delivered a spiky, angular set that despite being just seven tracks long, was a little repetitive. Perhaps it’s time the Sunderland quartet deviated from their limited formula.After The Futureheads closed with the irritatingly crowd-pleasing Hounds of Love, veteran rockers Feeder were up next.Playing a large chunk of new mate-rial, which has heralded a return to their rockier roots, they sounded in vibrant form, engaging in minimal

crowd patter and just charging through their back catalogue, with stirring renditions of signature tune Buck Rogers, added to older clas-sics like Insomnia and more recent hits like Lost and Found.For a final encore, they stormed into a cover of Nirvana classic Breed, which gave a glimpse of the type of crowd chaos no doubt prevalent when Kurt Cobain was delivering the vocal angst. If gloriously anthemic, no frills rock is what you desire, then Feeder have it executed to a fine art.Words by Jamie BrannonPhoto by Gobinder Jhitta

January 2011 15

A day late due to the band being stuck in the snow in Scotland, the expectation for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club to deliver was high. With more strobe lighting than an Ibiza nightclub, BRMC blasted out a set of high volume guitar riffs and dark, sultry vocals to the captivated crowd. Opening on 666 Conducer and working their way through their studio albums, BRMC showed that their material has stood the test of time - even with newer songs such as Beat the Devil’s Tattoo prompting intense crowd reactions. Belting out well executed songs for nearly two hours was more than enough to make up for the fact it was a re-scheduled gig, with old favourites such as Spread Your Love and Whatever Happened to My Rock and Roll (Punk Song) seeing fans old and new joined together to sing and dance along. As an accomplished band, BRMC know how to work their raw, powerful guitar dynamics to create new and contrasting sounds in ways that will delight their audience. Words by Lorraine Teare

BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUBO2 Academy 2, BirminghamDecember 8

It doesn’t seem long ago that Capsule were celebrating their 10th Birthday, dishing out goodie bags to warming hearts, masking over the harsh winter. Yet with another year of the most noisy, unique, genre-bending music under their belt, the Capsule team never fails to bring amazing and mesmerising acts to endearing fans and unsuspecting audiences. Tonight, their last gig of the year proved a fittingly grand finale. After provoking a storm of success at Supersonic the previous month, local three-piece Stinky Wizzleteat distorted reality between gentle guitar riffs, building up to fuzz-deafening chaos. Supported with stoner-swaying drumming and screeching vocals, Stinky Wizzleteat certainly master the art of doom, furthering Birmingham’s proud creation of metal and transforming it into their own form of vulgarity.Part Chimp’s turn to blow apart the Hare & Hounds next, as their roaring guitars and bass blended together into one unsettling distortion.Headliners Torche arrive and revert back to stoner metal, embracing their fans with short, energetic guitar perfection on UFO.Steve Brooks’ exhilarating vocals are undoubtedly uplifting underneath the boom-crafted bass, making the silence in between feel self-conscious and disagreeable after such ecstasy.Though it is Rick Smith who steals the show, his insane drumming abbreviated, pure intensity, destroying any melancholy with rapturous captivation and leaving the crowd thwarted by the beat in synchronization.The Miami three-piece present a sumptuous mix of melodic indie into their metal, allowing an elegance to simmer below the panes of a genre fusion, digressing from a world lavished with rules. Words by Ross Cotton

Howard Marks, Wales’ answer to Pablo Escobar, entertained a packed Adam & Eve with stories of his colourful life experiences. After the success of his best selling book Mr Nice, which was turned into a film this year, it’s good to see Howard continuing to tour pubs and small venues to share his life with audiences.The fine balance between charisma, wit, charm and humour make him the perfect speaker to listen to, notwithstanding the incredible life he has lead so far. He openly talked about peaks and troughs throughout his life and maintained a rapport with his audience which hung on every word. It became immediately apparent that Marks could entertain for days with his charming accounts of situations he has found himself in over the past 50 years and he’s the kind of man you would love to share a pint with. Howard certainly lived up to his ‘Mr Nice’ billing but he has certainly been a very naughty boy on more than one occasion over the past five decades.Words by Ben Adsett

HOWARD MARKS The Adam & Eve, BirminghamDecember 17

TORCHE (+ Part Chimp + Stinky Wizzleteat)Hare & Hounds, Kings HeathNovember 25


CLUBSRag & Bone, December 10Snobs, Birmingham

To anybody who has grown up in Birmingham in recent decades, Snobs has always stoutly maintained its reputation as the city’s leading indie club. A leading club, however, can’t simply rest on its laurels and, since the summer, Rag & Bone has been taking over on alternate Fridays to shake things up. Rag & Bone residents and the fleet of DJs at their disposal have been freshening up the main room with a combination of indie and alternative anthems alongside music you would have never expected to hear, such as garage, hip hop, electro, 70s & 80s dance and pop. It could be viewed as a risky venture to allow such a drastic change to take place, but the team behind Rag & Bone is an experienced and road-hardened bunch of DJs. It’s not so much a replacement, but more an adjustment, a tweak to make sure the vibe is fresh and exciting. And it seems to be working.

Words by Jimmy LynchPhotos by Jack Snape

January 2011 17


FOOD+

DRINKDRINK OF THE MONTH:

“A detox cocktail is anything that helps the body recover from a session,” says Chris.“It can be anything containing vitamin C like fresh pressed orange or lime juice, or super food such as fresh raspberries whipped up into a health-boosting smoothie.“Or for those who need an instant pick-me-up there are many alcoholic cocktails which all began with the spirit of gin. “The Orange Blossom (gin & orange juice), The Seabreeze and probably the most famous of all, The Red Snapper. “The foundation of the Red Snapper, or Bloody Mary as it is now more commonly known, will be eternally argued which adds to its charm and beauty. Fernand Petiot is said to have invented the drink in 1921 while working at Harry’s Bar in Paris. As with many classic cocktails of the day there always seems to be a differing story, one gives acclaim to a bartender from the St Regis Hotel in NYC inventing the Red Snapper, which some claim to be the original but made with gin. The modern Bloody Mary uses vodka instead of gin.“These are great tasting classics but they definitely do not come with a hangover-proof guarantee.”- Chris Hoy is training and development manager for The Jekyll & Hyde and its three sister venues, The Victoria, Island Bar and Bodega.

BLOODY MARY/RED SNAPPER

Ingredients:4.5 cl (3 parts) vodka/gin9.0 cl (6 parts) tomato juice1.5 cl (1 part) lemon juice

Directions:Add dashes of Worcestershire Sauce, Tabasco, salt and pepper into a highball glass, then pour all ingredients into the highball with ice cubes. Stir gently. Add an optional garnish with a celery stalk and a wedge of lemon.

CAFE IKONOozells Square, Birmingham

Overall: Atmosphere:

Food:

Value:

Service:

The least you would expect from a restaurant inside an art gallery is an eye-catching appearance and Café Ikon does not disappoint. The chic interior matches the minimalist surrounds of Ikon Gallery, while the twinkling lights of the square outside and continental aromas from the kitchen combine to give the feeling you’ve been whisked away from the daily grind.Stand-out tapas is always a hard thing to achieve, with a plethora of safe tapas stand-ards at your disposal. So the big question was whether the food had the substance to match the style.

A first glance at the menu certainly suggests so, with sirloin beef with blue cheese, pan fried duck with pears and Span-ish black pudding among the eye-catching options - al-though with dishes costing up to £8.45 each, some combos

could eat into your wallet. None of these options disappointed, and the scallops were also per-fectly cooked. With such strong flavours on offer there is scope for some real taste experimenta-tion and the staff were always on hand to advise on the menu combinations. A dazzling array of loose leaf teas give more scope to experiment by ending your meal with an interesting cuppa.

DETOX COCKTAILS Office party, Christmas dinner, New Year’s Eve…it all adds up. But what’s the best way to recover? There’s been a lot of talk recently of detox cocktails - but what exactly does that entail? Chris Hoy from one of Birmingham city centre’s best hidden gems and gin joints, The Jekyll & Hyde in Steelhouse Lane, explains more.

REVIEWS

January 2011 19

January 2011 21

STYLEWell it appears we now live in a climate akin to that of the Arctic Circle here in Birmingham, so if you’ve ruined your favourite canvas pumps in the snow or shattered your wrist slipping on the ice in your winklepickers then, like your mother always said, it’s time to get some sensible footwear.

Luckily sensible doesn’t have to mean unfashionable with boots still all the rage for both sexes this winter season. They were all over the autumn/winter catwalks and the humble boot is still the footwear of choice to walk you through the winter and into the early throes of spring. Katie Fox assesses the key trends to keep in mind.

WINTER BOOT STYLESFur, and particularly the shearling trend, has already been huge news this season. We’ve mainly seen shearling lining a new breed of leather jackets, but the style crosses over into footwear too. The iconic Ugg boot has never been more in demand with the rise of the sheepskin trend. Festival favourite Hunter has even gotten in on the act with a new style featuring a cream shearling lining. Shearling not only looks good, but keeps your toes toasty too - what’s not to like? Christopher Bailey for Burberry Prorsum is undoubtedly king of this trend; Burberry’s shearling aviator jackets have been a sell out success.

Those familiar with these coveted jackets will also be aware of the buckled straps wrapped around the sleeve cuffs. These straps featured on the fashion house’s boots and were also seen on boots at the likes of Miu Miu and Marc Jacobs. Thankfully, this mini-trend of multi straps can be found just about anywhere on the high street too. Look out for boots wrapped in a multitude of straps with plenty of brass buckles thrown in for good measure; think straightjacket chic. Buckles were also a popular accent to the new biker-style boots. Biker boots should look tough, so look out for stud detailing and worn, washed out black leather.

Another surprise hit is the heeled hiking boot- preferably in leather or suede and, of course, fur lined. Essential features of the heeled hiker are prominent rivets, laces and a thick, raised rubber tread sole. The all-terrain tread may be more style than substance but is crucial to this look. Unfussy, casual military-style lace-ups look great on the guys too.

The Chelsea boot has also made a comeback this season; given a modern edge with block heels, prints and colours. The Chelsea boot is a hardworking piece of footwear, teaming well with all things minimalist. Classic Chelsea styles with a pointed toe look great on the guys, worn with a long coat. The brogue boot also works well with similar styles and looks great in tan colours too. The boys should opt for a classic brogue-style boot; whilst the girls experiment with heeled versions.

Other points of interest are wedge heels, made relevant in a platform style like Acne’s versions. Try a wedge heel in the form of a peep-toe ankle boot; these look great with skinny jeans in the daytime. Over the knee style boots also made an appearance but were in no way as popular as they were last autumn. This year they should either be heavily adorned with buckles and straps; or simply classic like Burberry’s plain black.

Slouch buckle boot, £84.99, River Island

‘Sandbanks’ boot, £150, KG by Kurt Geiger

‘Lester’ tan boot, £150, Loake @ Burton

‘Bea’ fur buckle over the knee boot, £135, Topshop

1914 boot in Cherry Red, £95, Dr Martens

January 2011 23


While it may seem a relatively quiet month for big names on the live stage, there is still plenty of interest to get you out of the house and keep the January blues at bay. Birmingham’s own electronica tinged alt-folkers MALPAS like to keep things interesting and will be headlining a night of live drum & bass at the Hare & Hounds on January 6 for The Honeycomb Club, alongside DJ and producer ARIES and the ALTERNATIVE DUBSTEP ORCHESTRA. The gig will be streamed live on Rhubarb Radio and will raise funds for the station which is set for a new year re-launch. For those watching the pennies in January, Birmingham Promoters launch a series of free fortnightly gigs at The Yardbird on Wednesday, January 19, with a headline appearance from loop-loving one man band THE VOLUNTARY BUTLER SCHEME. Also on January 19, Jack White-endorsed spectral duo SMOKE FAIRIES bring their enchanting, woozy folk to The Glee Club. Electro-pop cult heroes METRONOMY (pictured) are set for one of the highlights of the month at the Hare & Hounds on January 23.

GIGS

A blend of DJs and live bands kicks off the brand new DOPE club night upstairs at the Hare & Hounds on January 8 bringing some of Birmingham’s finest indie-dance crossover DJs including Speech Fewapy, This is Tomorrow and Tantrums (DJ set). Early bird tickets start at £2, with entry just £4 on the door. A student-friendly rave returns to The Rainbow Garden in Digbeth on January 21 from 10pm until 4am in the shape of SEEDY SONICS II. Returning after its successful launch night last term in October, it promises cheap drinks and cheap entry and aims to offer intelligent, underground dance music under the arches of the Rainbow Garden, including house, tech house and electro, with Fidget from University of Birmingham’s 1210 DJ Society and a full line-up to be announced. Tickets are £4 in advance with £2 drinks available on the night. The seemingly endless drum & bass celebration that is NUTCRACKA’S BIRTHDAY BASH returns for WHOOSSHH PART 3 at The Custard Factory’s Space 2 on January 22, presented by Muzik Hertz and Flyin’ Squad. Headline acts include Bryan Gee, Devize, Trigga, Bassman, DJ Sly and of course Nutcracka himself, so expect a heady mix of basslines, dubstep and dancehall. Tickets are £15 in advance with early bird tickets also available.Taking dance music to the micro-club format, WHAT IS HOUSE MUSIC? returns to the more intimate confines of the upstairs room of The Victoria in Birmingham city centre, inspired by similar nights in Ibiza, New York and Miami and aimed at creating a sociable vibe for just over 100 clubbers enjoying a varied mix of house music styles. The night will also be recorded to re-live through a podcast released afterwards.

CLUBBING

COMEDYCover star MILTON JONES brings his unique brand of one-liners to Wolverhampton’s Civic Hall on January 27, while character comic and Radio 4 favourite FELIX DEXTER (pictured) reveals his own Multiple Personalities in Order on the same night at Birmingham’s Town Hall. Political activist and stand-up MARK THOMAS retells the ups and downs of his expedition to the West Bank in Extreme Rambling: Walking the Wall, during a four night stint at the Mac in Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, from January 17-20, while a mixture of funny films and live stand-up from emerging talents John-Luke Roberts and Graham Goring heads to The Victoria for POPCORN COMEDY on January 20.

WHAT’S ON

January 2011 25

Want your gig or club night listed in our monthly guide? Send details to: [email protected].

All details correct at time of going to press. Check with venues before setting out.

While every effort will be made to ensure the accuracy of listings, Brum Notes Magazine will not be held liable for any errors or losses incurred from errors which may materialise.

BIRMINGHAM: O2 Academy, Horsefair, Bristol St B1, 0844 4772000; HMV Institute, High St, Digbeth B5, 0844 2485037; NIA, King Edwards Rd B1, 0121 7804141; LG Arena, NEC, Solihull B40, 0121 7804141; The Flapper, Kingston Row B1, 0121 2362421; The Victoria, John Bright St B1, 0121 6339439; Sound Bar, Corporation St B4, 0121 2362220; Hare & Hounds, High St, Kings Heath B14, 0121 4442081; The Actress & Bishop, Ludgate Hill B3, 0121 2367426; The Sunflower Lounge, Smallbrook Queensway B5, 0121 6327656; Symphony Hall, Broad St B1, 0121 7803333; Town Hall, Victoria Sq B3, 0121 7803333; Kitchen Garden Cafe, York Road, Kings Heath B14, 0121 4434725; Alexandra Theatre, Station St B1, 0844 8472302; Bulls Head, St Marys Row, Moseley B13, 0121 2567777; Island Bar, Suffolk St B1, 0121 6325296; The Jam House, St Pauls Sq B3, 0121 2003030; The Asylum, Hampton St, Hockley B19, 0121 2331109; The Rainbow, High St, Digbeth B12, 0121 7728174; Adam & Eve, Bradford St, Digbeth B12, 0121 6931500; Poppyred, The Arcadian, Hurst St B5, 0121 6871200; The Yardbird, Paradise Place B3, 0121 2122524; The Glee Club, The Arcadian, Hurst St B5, 0871 4720400; MAC, Cannon Hill Park B12, 0121 4463232; Scruffy Murphys, The Priory Queensway B4, 0121 2362035; The Wagon & Horses, Adderley Street, Digbeth B9, 0121 772 1403;WOLVERHAMPTON: Civic Hall/Wulfrun Hall, North St WV1, 01902 552122; ; The Slade Rooms, Broad St WV1, 01902 552122; Alchemy Bar, North St WV1, 01902 711998; Robin 2, Mount Pleasant, Bilston WV14, 01902 401211; Newhampton Arts Centre, Dunkley St WV1, 01902 572090;WEST BROMWICH: The Public, New St B70, 0121 5337161; COVENTRY: Kasbah, Primrose Hill St, CV1, 024 76554473; Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick, CV4, 024 76524524.

VENUE DIRECTORY

KEY TO LISTINGS:M = LIVE MUSICCN = CLUB NIGHTC = COMEDY

Monday, Jan 3M Lower Than

AtlantisO2 Academy 3 Birmingham

CN Weekly Reggae Session

Bulls Head Moseley

Tuesday, Jan 4CN Now That’s What I

Call a 90s NightSubway City Birmingham

CN Swampmeat The Sunflower Lounge

Birmingham

Wednesday, Jan 5M Michelle Lawrence

& The EquatorsThe Jam House

Birmingham

CN Funkylicious Bambu Birmingham

CN Full Moon HMV Institute Birmingham

CN Diversion Nightingale Club

Birmingham

CN Big Wednesday Snobs BirminghamThursday, Jan 6

M Acoustic Lounge Island Bar Birmingham

M Go The Length + Smash of the Glass + The Sharabangs + Lii Middleston

O2 Academy 3 Birmingham

M The Crooked Empire + Cohere

The Rainbow Birmingham

M Malpas, Aries, Alternative Dubstep Orchestra

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Clique Bambu Birmingham

CN Apt. Bulls Head MoseleyFriday, Jan 7

M Big Country O2 Academy Birmingham

M Vault of Eagles + Motherless + Paradise Valley + Primer

The Actress & Bishop

Birmingham

M Jackpike + Sons of Beaches

The Sunflower Lounge

Birmingham

M SIXDAYSOBER + Tomorrow We’ll Trust

The Temple @ HMV Institute

Birmingham

CN Urban vs Desi Fusion

Chi Bar Birmingham

CN Supersonic Vague Gatecrasher Birmingham

CN The Cult Club HMV Institute Birmingham

CN Reunion Plug Birmingham

CN Connection Snobs Birmingham

CN Anarchy Subway City Birmingham

CN Beats By Numbers The Victoria Birmingham

CN Roller Disco The Tower Ballroom

Edgbaston

CN Freestyle Bulls Head MoseleySaturday, Jan 8

M The Christians The Robin 2 Bilston

M Proxies O2 Academy 3 Birmingham

M Adjust + Through Her Eyes + Akrya

Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham


M Broken Witt Rebels The Actress & Bishop

Birmingham

M Silent Filter presents

The Adam & Eve

Birmingham

M Sicknote The Wagon & Horses

Birmingham

M Capital Sun + The Serfs

Kasbah Coventry

M Young Runaways + Liberation Works + Pan & the Poets

Newhampton Arts Centre

Wolves

CN Superstar Boudoir Gatecrasher Birmingham

CN Adventures in Stereo (Panic!)

HMV Institute Birmingham

CN Zombie Prom Rainbow Warehouse

Birmingham

CN Loaded Snobs Birmingham

CN Groovy Garden Kasbah Coventry

CN Dope Clubnight Launch

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Together Residents Special

Bulls Head Moseley

C Alex Boardman + Joe Wilkinson + Alistair Barrie + Rudi Lickwood

Highlight Comedy Club

Birmingham

C Martin Mór + Sean Percival

The Glee Club Birmingham

Sunday, Jan 9M Woodys Bar

Acoustic SessionThe Robin 2 Bilston


The Adam & Eve

Birmingham

CN Scooterist Sundays The Adam & Eve

Birmingham

C The XXXX Comedy Cabaret

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Monday, Jan 10CN Weekly Reggae

SessionBulls Head Moseley

Wednesday, Jan 12M Silent Filter

presentsThe Adam & Eve

Birmingham

Thursday, Jan 13M Gunnrunner The Robin 2 Bilston


M Splintertone + Hate the Faith + Shallow Tides + Black Veins + The Callout



Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

M Court Lane + Seven Dae


CN Apt. Bulls Head MoseleyFriday, Jan 14

M Drake NIA Birmingham

M Eight Great Fears Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

M Renegade Messiah + Avante-Garde

The Actress & Bishop

Birmingham

M Chicks Dig Jerks present The Mighty Stef + friends

The Adam & Eve

Birmingham

M The Adlibs + Contact


Birmingham

M My Own Agenda + Fireflight + Dutch Cousin


Birmingham

M Proxies Kasbah Coventry

M Thin Lizzy The Civic Hall Wolves

CN Propaganda O2 Academy Birmingham

CN Resurrection Subway City Birmingham

CN Drake after party Sugar Suite Birmingham

CN M4TP (Music for the People)

The Victoria Birmingham

CN Raw with DJs Blokhe4d, Hamilton, Dirtbox (live Beatbox V DJ battle) Barbarix

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Freestyle Bulls Head Moseley

C Daniel Sloss + Dave Twentyman + John Gordillo + Simon Clayton


Saturday, Jan 15M Aghast + Storm

the Walls + The Illusionary Contortionist + FSI

Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

M Bang Bang Romeo The Actress & Bishop

Birmingham

M My Jerusalem The Flapper Birmingham

M King Pleasure & the Biscuit Boys

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Superstar Boudoir Gatecrasher Birmingham

CN Stay Sick Fundraiser

Island Bar Birmingham


Birmingham

CN Punky Reggae Sound Bar Birmingham

CN Crashed Out & Jah Fly DJs

The Adam & Eve

Birmingham

CN Habit presents: January Sale

Bulls Head Moseley

C Sam Avery + Anthony King + Steve Harris + The Noise Next Door


Birmingham

C Daniel Sloss + Dave Twentyman + John Gordillo + Simon Clayton


Sunday, Jan 16M Isolated Atoms +

Obscure Pleasures + Pharmatronik + Every Inch A King


M Mama Rosin Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Monday, Jan 17CN Weekly Reggae

SessionBulls Head Moseley

January 2011 27

C Mark Thomas: The Wall

Mac Birmingham

Tuesday, Jan 18M Birmingham Ja

presents MJHQThe Jam House

Birmingham


Mac Birmingham

C Cheeky Monkey Comedy Club

The Cross Moseley

Wednesday, Jan 19M PWS Promotions

presentsIsland Bar Birmingham

M JLS LG Arena Birmingham

M Smoke Fairies The Glee Club Birmingham

M The Voluntary Butler Scheme

The Yardbird Birmingham


Mac Birmingham

C Not Appropriate The Old Joint Stock

Birmingham

Thursday, Jan 20M Acoustic Lounge Island Bar Birmingham

M The Nock + The Pargeters + Black Bears


M Girls That Scream + Meat Feast


M The Jeffrey Lewis & Peter Stampfel Folk Band + Ben Calvert

Actress & Bishop

Birmingham

M Rhesus + Loutish Lover + The Reason + Fly By Nature + Dirty Little Lies

The Slade Rooms

Wolves

CN Apt. Bulls Head Moseley

C Popcorn Comedy The Victoria Birmingham


Mac Birmingham

C Paul Tonkinson + Josh Howie + Richard Morton + Jason Patterson


Friday, Jan 21M The Wombats HMV Institute Birmingham

M Crowbar O2 Academy 2 Birmingham

M Gentlemen of Distorted Sound + Supernaut + Durando

Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

M 4s a Crowd + Shoot the Dead


Birmingham

M The Noose + Pit Vipers + The Highly Charged Super Cocks + Coffee Shop Situation


Birmingham

M Hey Colossus + Ultraphallus

The Wagon & Horses

Birmingham

M Endless Nameless Present

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath


GTR_Show_Bham200x135.pdf 1 21/12/2010 11:04

January 2011 29

CN Seedy Sonics II The Rainbow Garden

Birmingham

CN Return of the Boom Bap


CN Roller Disco The Tower Ballroom

Edgbaston

CN Friendly Fire Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath




Saturday, Jan 22M Towers of Flesh Scruffy

MurphysBirmingham

M Cohere The Actress & Bishop

Birmingham

M The Autumn Store All-Dayer



The Wagon & Horses

Birmingham

M CIRCUS TOWN Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Hed Kandi Gatecrasher Birmingham

CN Adventures in Stereo (Panic!)

HMV Institute Birmingham


Birmingham

CN Nutcracka’s Birthday Bash

Space 2 @ The Custard Factory

Birmingham

CN Brewster & Green present Smoove and Turrell

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Prospec presents Commix

Bulls Head Moseley

C Phil Butler + Seann Walsh + Tony Hendriks + The Noise Next Door


Birmingham



Sunday, Jan 23M The Walkmen The Glee Club Birmingham

M Metronomy Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Scooterist Sundays The Adam & Eve

Birmingham

Monday, Jan 24M Ani DiFranco The Glee Club Birmingham


Bulls Head Moseley

C Stephen K Amos The Civic Hall WolvesTuesday, Jan 25

M Go-X + Me Vs Monday + Fans of Faye + That Sunday Feeling


M Acoustic Sessions The Jam House

Birmingham

M Justin Currie (Del Amitri)

The Assembly Leamington Spa

Wednesday, Jan 26M Attack Attack! (Us)

+ Bury Tomorrow + Hope Dies Last



Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

M I Am Kloot The Assembly Leamington Spa

M The Cult The Civic Hall WolvesThursday, Jan 27

M Space Ritual The Robin 2 Bilston


M Usher NIA Birmingham

M Vault of Eagles O2 Academy 3 Birmingham

M Alasdair Roberts The Glee Club Birmingham

M Renegade Messiah + Supanaut


M John Otway Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Apt. Bulls Head Moseley

C Al Pitcher + Andy Robinson + Mark Maier


C Felix Dexter Town Hall Birmingham

C Milton Jones Wulfrun Hall WolvesFriday, Jan 28

M Band Of Horses O2 Academy Birmingham

M The Arcadian Kicks + Velvet Texas Cannonball + Vinny & The Curse + Shackletons

Sound Bar Birmingham

M Goldenclime + Butterfly Stone + The Lieutenants


Birmingham

M Soundtrack To Your Summer

Kasbah Coventry

M The Brute Chorus Newhampton Arts Centre

Wolves

CN Expression Chi Bar Birmingham


CN Rollergirls club night

Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

CN What is House Music?


CN Heducation 10th Birthday Party

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN THC Free Party Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath




Saturday, Jan 29M Luv Injection v

David RodiganThe Drum Aston

M Alexandra Burke NIA Birmingham


M Jackpike + The Two & Eights + The Pargeters + This Wicked Tongue


M Heroica The Actress & Bishop

Birmingham

M Kyrbgrinder & -Ar- The Flapper Birmingham

M Melanie Pain The Temple @ HMV Institute

Birmingham

M The Selecter Kasbah Coventry

M Gazpacho The Assembly Leamington Spa

M Monobloggers The Slade Rooms

Wolves

CN Godskitchen Air Birmingham

CN Hospitality HMV Institute Birmingham


Birmingham

CN Terrorizer Grindhouse

Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

CN Teenage Kicks Launch Night

The Adam & Eve

Birmingham

CN Sweat The Victoria Birmingham

CN Groovy Garden Kasbah Coventry

CN Soulshare present Stop for the Drop

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

C John Warburton + Matthew Hardy + Carl Donnelly + Louis Ramey


Birmingham



C Gyles Brandreth Town Hall BirminghamSunday, Jan 30

CN Tin Tins Subway City BirminghamMonday, Jan 31

M Roxy Music LG Arena Birmingham

M Leigh Mary Stokes Kasbah Coventry

M Justin Currie The Slade Rooms

Wolves


Bulls Head Moseley

Tuesday, Feb 1M Periphery O2 Academy 2 Birmingham

M Man Like Me The Temple @ HMV Institute

Birmingham

M Francis Rossi Town Hall Birmingham

M Taking Dawn The Slade Rooms

Wolves

To get your February gigs, comedy events or club nights included in this guide send details to [email protected] by January 15.

January 2011 31


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